Debt-ridden shopkeeper stabs family, himself in Delhi

New Delhi, May 4 (IANS) A 33-year-old debt-ridden grocery shop owner stabbed his minor son to death and injured his wife and other son before slashing his own wrist in the national capital Monday, police said. Anand Rawat allegedly stabbed his wife Nandini, 30, sons Pawan, 8, and Chetak, 6, when they were sleeping in their one-room rented house in Badarpur area of south Delhi around 4 a.m.

According to police, Rawat stabbed Chetak four times with a kitchen knife and then attacked his wife. After stabbing her, he caught hold of Pawan’s hand and was about to slit his throat when Pawan pushed him and managed to escape from the room.

After Pawan escaped, Rawat slashed his own wrist.

Pawan, who was not seriously injured, alerted the neighbours. All the four were rushed to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), where doctors declared Chetan brought dead.

Rawat and his wife Nandini were said to be battling for lives, while Pawan has been declared out of danger.

“Initial investigation suggest that Rawat was under huge debt and was depressed for past some time. He attacked his wife and sons several times before stabbing himself,” said a police official.

“We have registered a case against him and are investigating the matter,” the officer added.

Rawat hails from Almora in Uttarakhand and has been staying in the capital for the past 15 years. They have been living in Badarpur area for the past four years, where he runs a small grocery store.